Hydrostatic tire-setter



(No'Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.` C. L. GRIMES.

HYDROSTATIC TIRE SB'I'TER.

No. 442,579. Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

' AITORNEY.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.-

T .T SL w Mm, IT.. Rm... Gm LT .CR D Y I (No Model.)

ATTEST,

-pumping apparatus being shown, as herein- CHARLES LOOMIS GRIMES, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

HYDRoSTA-rlo TIRE-SETTER.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters. Patent No. 442,579, dated December 9, 1890.

Application filed January 31, 1890. Serial No. 338,757. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LooMIs Gratins, residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, and a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydrostatic Tire- Setters, of which the following is a specifica.- t-ion, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which like letters of reference in the several views refer to like parts.

The object of my said invention is the novel construction of a machine for setting the tires on the wheels of vehicles by means of hydrostatic pressure; and the means by which I attain this object consists, primarily, in a system of simultaneously converging pistons or plungers, the inner ends of which imp'inge against the periphery of the tire to be set upon the wheel, and all act simultaneously by the pressure of the water which is forced into an annular passage-way by a force-pu mp adapted to that purpose.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a top view of a tire-setter operated by hydrostatic pressure and embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, cutting the line o .r in Fig. I. Fig. 3 is a similar section cutting the broken line Y Y in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a plan of the converging pistons, the water-passage, and an equalizing device for simultaneously operating the pistons, built in part 011 the line r r in Fig. 3, but Without the aft-er set forth. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the several pistons. Fig. 6 is an end view of same part as seen in the direction indicated by the arrow Z in Fig. Fig. 7 is a section of the pumping apparatus, built on the center line e z in Fig. l. Fig. 8 is a front view of same parts as seen in the direction of the arrow Z in Fig. l. Fig. 9 is a section of a relief-valve, drawn on an enlarged scale. Fig. l0 is a transverse section of the relief-valve. Fig. ll is a side view of the relief-valve. Fig. l2 is an end view of the valve as seen in the direction of the arrow w in Fig. Il. Fig. 13 is a section cutting the line s s in Fig. 9'. Fig. let is a top view of a part of the equalizing device for securing uniform movements of the converging pistons, as hereinafter more fully explained.

A is an annular rim or base of the machine; B, the center plate or disk made firm at intervals to the inwardly-extending arms of the rim; C C C, the., a series of converging pistons or plungers operated by means of the pressure of water behind them to force them against the tire to be set upon the wheel.

D is the inwardly-extending arms, cast integral with the rim A between the pistons C C C, tbc., and forming guideways for their movement back and forth,and also acting as supports for the centraldisk B, to which it is made firm by bolts a.

E is the equalizing-ring, carrying the connecting-links b Z) b, the.

F F, Figs. 3 and let, are two arms firmly se'- cured to the ring F. and supporting the two weights G G, for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

II is the center standard, around which the hub of the wheel is placed at time of laying the wheel in the machine.

I is the driving-pulley of the pump for operating the eccentric j and pist-on e.

f is the primary checlcvalve, through which the water is drawn up at the upward stroke ofthe piston e. h is the secondary checkvalve, through which the water presses at the downward stroke of the piston, and thence into the annular water-passage 7c in the interior of the rim A.

Fig. 9 represents a horizontal section of the compound reliefvalve through which the spent water returns from the Water-passage to the cistern. This valve, taps the Waterchamber t' directly over the secondary checkvalve horbetween that valve and the waterpassage 7c. `At the proper time for discharging the Water out of the water-passage (the tire being then set) the pressure is necessarily so great as to almost forbid the opening of a valve,which is large enough to let thewater ont as quickly as is desired. To obviate this difficulty I have provided the machine with what might be called a small auxiliary valve for the immediate relief of this maximum pressure. rlhis is the small valve l, placed Within the larger valve m, and to be first acted upon by the diminished end n of the shaft o, (of the handwheel,) which strikes the end pof the valve Z and lifts its beveled collar out of its seat in the valve m, and thus relieves in ad- ICO - vance the immediate heavy pressure before the large valve m is lifted out of its seat o in the shell M, which latter is eifected by a still further turn of the hand-wheeh It will be understood that as the water is let in through the openings t, Fig. 13, of the archway above the valve m it has unobstructed passage between said valve and the beveled collar of the valve t' (when the latter is opened) and out through the recesses r of the stem of the valve and down through the waste-pipe R into the cistern below, as shown at Fig. l2.

In Fig. 4L I have shown in dotted lines an equalizing-ring E and the connecting-links b b b, dac., connecting the ring with their respective pistons or plungers C C C, &c., the mode of connecting these links to the ring and to the pistons being also shown in Fig. 3.

It will be observed that these links are not arranged upon radial lines, but are set a little out of line between the pistons and the center of the circle, so that as the pistons are made to approach nearer toward the center when operating to seta tire the ring will turn slightly around the center hub in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 14, and in doing so it will necessarily carry the arms F F around so as to raise the weights G G, and as the pressure of the wateris taken off from behind the pistons by the relief-valve the weights will gradually sink down, and thus, through the rings and links, will the pistons be all simultaneously pushed back into their respective openings in the rim preparatory to receiving another tire to be operated upon. I have in the drawings illustrated sixteen plungers or pistons. Ihave chosen that number only as the preferable one; but as the same results can be substantially accomplished with a greater or less number I do not wish to limit myself to the use of that exact number. It will be observed, however, that the less the number of these pistons the longer will be the contacting-surface of the shoulders g with the tire, and consequently the greater will be the sliding friction of each with the upsetting portion of the tire contiguous thereto. So it is doubtful if as low a number as three could be successfully worked. These pistons are allfaced off as to their shoulders g while in their respective places in the machine, by alathe, to the exact size which it is intended the tire shall assume when set upon a Wheel, thereby causing' it to become a perfect. circle.

The operation of the machine is then as follows, to wit: The tire to be set upon a given wheel is first placed loosely upon the wheel and both are placed upon the plate B of the machine just inside of the longer circular lines designating the impinging-surfaces of the plungers or pistons, as seen in Fig. 4, so as to be operated upon by the shoulders g, Figs. 3 and 5. The power is then applied to the pulley I of the pump. As the piston of the pump is lifted the water follows up under it through the valve f, and at the downward stroke the valve closes and the water is forced up through the secondary valve h into the chamber i, and thence to and into the water-channel 7a through the passage-way shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, and thus the power applied to the driving-pulley I is exerted equally through all the pistons upon the tire, which is thereby shortened or upset to lit the wheel. As the plungers or pistons are driven forward by the action of the water behind them, the ring E is slightly turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, and the weights are thereby raised to return the motion imparted by the pressure of the water behind the pistons and to replace the machine in position to repeat the operation. There is, however, one oth er function which the weights, ring, and links are intended to perform, and that is to prevent any one or more of the pistons from advancing faster or slower than any of the others. As soon as the act of contracting the tire is completed, the neXt step is to release the wheel from the machine, which is accomplished simply by a few turns of the hand-Wheel, by means of which all the water in the machine is let out through the compound valves l m into the same cistern below from which the supply is drawn up to operate the machine. It will be understood that these pistons are all made water-tight by means of packings of the usual form for hydrostatic presses.

I claim- In a hydrostatic tire-setter, the combination of the simultaneously -converging pistons C C C C, dac., and an equal number of links b b b b, connecting said pistons with the centrally-pivoted ring E, said links being set at an angle with radial lines and adapted to insure an equal and uniform travel of the pistons, all arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

CHARLES LGOMIS GRIMES.

Attest:

R. H. MoCoY. J. Il. SAMUELs.

TOO 

